My driver side view mirror vibrates/shakes when driving and when sitting idle. It’s bad enough that I can’t get a clear view from it whereas my passenger side mirror is stable at all times. The dealer even confirmed it but said that it’s a Toyota flaw in design because all highlanders have this problem. Does anyone else have this problem? I’m just wondering if it’s a real Toyota issue or not. The dealer said they would not replace it because even a new one would do the same thing. I only have 4000 miles on the car. Just doesn’t seem right.
prayburn84
Mine vibrates too. I don't think it's a huge deal, as I don't spend that much time staring at the side mirror.
If/when Toyota comes out with a reliable solution before the warranty expires, I might let them do it. There have been a lot of posts here about various things dealers have tried to fix it including replacing the whole mirror and it doesn't solve the problem. I'm not going to have a dealer tear apart the door if they're still just guessing about how to fix it.
If/when Toyota comes out with a reliable solution before the warranty expires, I might let them do it. There have been a lot of posts here about various things dealers have tried to fix it including replacing the whole mirror and it doesn't solve the problem. I'm not going to have a dealer tear apart the door if they're still just guessing about how to fix it.
You should be only using your eyes to look in your driver sider mirror, not turning your head. And you shouldn't be staring into your driver side mirror, instead you should be keep any eye all around you just in case of an emergency. 
Yes at a glance I have seen my mirror vibrate a little but it doesn't worry me as I don't spend a lot of time looking in my mirrors.
Yes at a glance I have seen my mirror vibrate a little but it doesn't worry me as I don't spend a lot of time looking in my mirrors.
If the window is closed I don't know that you'd even hear a clicking noise from the mirror while driving. I guess it depends how loud it is. I'd look around for other possible sources of the noise.
Be careful... the black trim piece on the underside of the mirror has a reputation for coming off on its own, so you're going to want to be extra careful taking it off to make sure it will go back on and stay on. It's not sold separately - if it breaks, you buy a whole new mirror.
Be careful... the black trim piece on the underside of the mirror has a reputation for coming off on its own, so you're going to want to be extra careful taking it off to make sure it will go back on and stay on. It's not sold separately - if it breaks, you buy a whole new mirror.
Rather have a door mounted mirror that vibrates a little when going over most speed limits than a window mounted one that blocks view of a short pedestrian or animal in a turn. And a mirror that is still mounted to the fender cannot vibrate so much that a normal driver would miss any object with a quick glance.
Annoying yes, a hazard, no. This is one of those minor glitches where the cure is likely worse than the disease.
Annoying yes, a hazard, no. This is one of those minor glitches where the cure is likely worse than the disease.
So well my little test results.
At idle, in drive, at lights and in my driveway, even with the AC on, my mirrors do NOT NOT NOT rattle.
On the freeway, ditto, not vibrating, no visual cues that they are moving.
Over normal city streets, no.
Over manhole covers on normal streets, yes the mirror bounce.
Speed bumps, yes, the move.
Over rough city streets, yes, the jump around some.
It seems the driver side is a bit worse than the passenger (or I can not perceive it as much or well.)
My car is an early production 2020.
Maybe something changed???????
Maybe it is trim level related. I have manual folding mirrors.
What do you others have????
At idle, in drive, at lights and in my driveway, even with the AC on, my mirrors do NOT NOT NOT rattle.
On the freeway, ditto, not vibrating, no visual cues that they are moving.
Over normal city streets, no.
Over manhole covers on normal streets, yes the mirror bounce.
Speed bumps, yes, the move.
Over rough city streets, yes, the jump around some.
It seems the driver side is a bit worse than the passenger (or I can not perceive it as much or well.)
My car is an early production 2020.
Maybe something changed???????
Maybe it is trim level related. I have manual folding mirrors.
What do you others have????
Toyota knows and acknowledged that this is a design mistake. There is a RAV TSB on the subject. I don't know if there is a similar Highlander TSB (there should be). The vibration can and should be corrected free-of-charge under warranty.
www.rav4world.com
Updated Mirror Vibration TSB
This is the latest TSB concerning the mirror vibration issue on 5th generation RAV4s. It supercedes earlier versions. It specifically applies to the 2021 model year. It has the same dealer repair procedure as the earlier TSB version: reinforcing plate, longer studs and epoxy. Thus it appears to...
www.rav4world.com
Rav Mirror Vibration TSB updates nothing other than including the 21 to the 20 TSB.
Not a design mistake, done as a safety tradeoff.....move the mirrors from the window frame to the body for better driver visibility in a turn onto a door skin that was reduced in gauge to reduce weight and meet CAFE requirements and that's what you get.
And not a design defect because only some have the problem. No vibrations on my 20 Rav or son's 21 Ravs and they don't qualify for the TSB criteria probably due to better assembly techniques in our "J" manufactured Ravs.
No similar TSB for Highlanders. The mirror heads on my 20 Rav4 are identical to the ones in the 20 Highlander but the base mounts and sheet metal is drastically different. Ravs mount has a large flat base that mounts on large flat surface of the door. TSB is to install a larger flat backing plate to stiffen the thin door skin.....Highlander mirrors have a smaller, narrow profile base that mounts on a small convex surface of the door skin with little no interior area to install a large backing plate where it would do any good anyway.
So I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Highlander fix, and evenm if I had the problem, absent a TSB and replacement parts I wouldn't let dealer play with it either......too much torque on those steel studs mounted in the plastic may worsen the situation.
Not a design mistake, done as a safety tradeoff.....move the mirrors from the window frame to the body for better driver visibility in a turn onto a door skin that was reduced in gauge to reduce weight and meet CAFE requirements and that's what you get.
And not a design defect because only some have the problem. No vibrations on my 20 Rav or son's 21 Ravs and they don't qualify for the TSB criteria probably due to better assembly techniques in our "J" manufactured Ravs.
No similar TSB for Highlanders. The mirror heads on my 20 Rav4 are identical to the ones in the 20 Highlander but the base mounts and sheet metal is drastically different. Ravs mount has a large flat base that mounts on large flat surface of the door. TSB is to install a larger flat backing plate to stiffen the thin door skin.....Highlander mirrors have a smaller, narrow profile base that mounts on a small convex surface of the door skin with little no interior area to install a large backing plate where it would do any good anyway.
So I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Highlander fix, and evenm if I had the problem, absent a TSB and replacement parts I wouldn't let dealer play with it either......too much torque on those steel studs mounted in the plastic may worsen the situation.
They may do something sometime. But, I bet it will happen with a mid life face lift. Or an assembly line change. Other cars add braces inside the door. RAVs a plate. Who knows. Is it a safety issue?
Same thing with wind noise. I thought I had noise the other day, but it was water from washing I guess. Dry car does not do it. Maybe. I had wind noise right after wash. Now days later not. Not a safety issue.
In this same vein no body complains about how tinny the doors sound closing. I have fixed this in other cars. But unless I have the doors apart for another reason I will not do it. Not a safety issue.
I doubt vibrating mirrors are considered a safety issue.
I will wait for the class action law suit.
Same thing with wind noise. I thought I had noise the other day, but it was water from washing I guess. Dry car does not do it. Maybe. I had wind noise right after wash. Now days later not. Not a safety issue.
In this same vein no body complains about how tinny the doors sound closing. I have fixed this in other cars. But unless I have the doors apart for another reason I will not do it. Not a safety issue.
I doubt vibrating mirrors are considered a safety issue.
I will wait for the class action law suit.
Seems this "vibrating mirror issue will keep on dragging on. Went to the Toyota Dealer today for coffee and donut and decided to play with the mirrors.
The Rav4 issue has to do with the base mount and the main issues seen were with mirror rattle, i.e. the base was loose at the door surface caused by either failure to tighten the machine screw end of the stud or the coarse reverse thread stud(s) loosening from the hole(s) in seat in the plastic base. Recall uses not only longer studs and sealer but a backing plate to firmly support the mirror base.........it does nothing for the mirror head which swivels on the mount base or for the replaceable mirror itself which snaps into the motor assembly. So even if firmly mounted the mirror head and or slack in the motor gear train will cause the mirror to move and vibrate dependent upon road surface.
The Highlanders use a different shape base top conform with the convex contour of the door. Other than that the mirror heads and mirror drive trains are the same.
Seems there are three areas which can cause a mirror vibration, slack where the mirror base contacts the door surface, slack where the swivel head is attached to the mirror base, and slack in the motor geartrain or where the mirror snaps into the geartrain.
My mirror bases to doors were unmovable, swivel heads tight needing a lot of strength to collapse, and a slight amount of slack in the mirror to motor drivetrain when pushed at the edges of the mirror. And the latter is what causes a minimal amount of vibration only at high speed and on very rough road surfaces.
Found an older '19 Rav which has a loose base mount and you could actually rattle it, a candidate for the TSB. In addition some had slack in the heads and mirror surfaces likely dues to wear or people banging against them or wacking them in the wrong direction squeezing past tightly packed cars in the lot trying to read the Maroneys in the windows or using their hands against the mirrors instead of the edge of the head to unfold the mirror heads.
So the absence of or the degree of vibration depends upon where it originates...the vibration originates somewhere: whether .base to door surface.....mirror head to mirror base.....or mirror mount to drivetrain. If base to door surface will definitely improve with tightening and/or replacing mounting studs. Mirror head to mirror base requires mirror disassembly to see if some way of tightening. Mirror to drivetrain can either be slack in the drivetrain requiring a new motor assembly or it could just be failure to snap all of the mounting pins into the motor base. Calls for examination before bringing to dealer show one can pointy out the area of weakness.
The Rav4 issue has to do with the base mount and the main issues seen were with mirror rattle, i.e. the base was loose at the door surface caused by either failure to tighten the machine screw end of the stud or the coarse reverse thread stud(s) loosening from the hole(s) in seat in the plastic base. Recall uses not only longer studs and sealer but a backing plate to firmly support the mirror base.........it does nothing for the mirror head which swivels on the mount base or for the replaceable mirror itself which snaps into the motor assembly. So even if firmly mounted the mirror head and or slack in the motor gear train will cause the mirror to move and vibrate dependent upon road surface.
The Highlanders use a different shape base top conform with the convex contour of the door. Other than that the mirror heads and mirror drive trains are the same.
Seems there are three areas which can cause a mirror vibration, slack where the mirror base contacts the door surface, slack where the swivel head is attached to the mirror base, and slack in the motor geartrain or where the mirror snaps into the geartrain.
My mirror bases to doors were unmovable, swivel heads tight needing a lot of strength to collapse, and a slight amount of slack in the mirror to motor drivetrain when pushed at the edges of the mirror. And the latter is what causes a minimal amount of vibration only at high speed and on very rough road surfaces.
Found an older '19 Rav which has a loose base mount and you could actually rattle it, a candidate for the TSB. In addition some had slack in the heads and mirror surfaces likely dues to wear or people banging against them or wacking them in the wrong direction squeezing past tightly packed cars in the lot trying to read the Maroneys in the windows or using their hands against the mirrors instead of the edge of the head to unfold the mirror heads.
So the absence of or the degree of vibration depends upon where it originates...the vibration originates somewhere: whether .base to door surface.....mirror head to mirror base.....or mirror mount to drivetrain. If base to door surface will definitely improve with tightening and/or replacing mounting studs. Mirror head to mirror base requires mirror disassembly to see if some way of tightening. Mirror to drivetrain can either be slack in the drivetrain requiring a new motor assembly or it could just be failure to snap all of the mounting pins into the motor base. Calls for examination before bringing to dealer show one can pointy out the area of weakness.
RAV4 was not recalled for that. There's a Toyota TSB on the NHTSA Web site about it, but a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) is not a recall. A TSB is a known solution for a problem that a customer may bring to the dealer for service. A recall is a notification to all affected owners to bring their car to the dealer for inspection/repair at no charge regardless of the warranty status of the vehicle. Work done as prescribed by a TSB is only free if the affected part(s) are still covered by the original Basic or Powertrain warranty.
Just picked up a new Highlander Platinum and I'm having the same issue. The glass shifts around at highway speed or when going over bumps. Drove my friend's Highlander and his doesn't move at all. Will see what the dealer is going to do about it.
I recently purchased a 2020 highlander hybrid and driver side mirror is shaking on freeway. I took my car to dealership and both time they just opened the mirror assembly and reinstall it but still have same issue.
I just got 2022 highlander...same problem
And dealer help me to replace the driver side mirror. But still having problem.
And dealer help me to replace the driver side mirror. But still having problem.
Any updates on this? There has to be a solution to keep the driver's side mirror from vibrating. I saw a suggestion of using electric tape, but I'm not sure how that would work/look.
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